Beachwood, OH (March 13, 2009) – Where were you on 9/11/2001? Like D-Day or the day President Kennedy was shot, most Americans remember the moment they first heard of the largest terrorist attacks in American history. But acts of violence on American soil are far from new, and the questions they raise of how to balance national security with individual rights go back to our very beginnings.
The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage presents a fascinating historical perspective with The Enemy Within: Terror in America–1776 to Today, opening Friday, April 3, 2009. A creation of the enormously popular International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., The Enemy Within has drawn enthusiastic crowds to The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, the Exploris Museum in North Carolina, and the Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford Presidential Libraries and Museums. This is its first appearance in Ohio.
See forgotten stories of domestic terrorists and foreign agents, militant radicals and saboteurs who threatened America’s sense of security for more than 230 years. Explore questions of how we identify enemies and keep the country safe without compromising the civil liberties upon which America was founded.
Travel back through time to discover dramatic stories including the capture of the City of Washington and torching of the White House (1814); the Haymarket Square bombing (1886); the Palmer Raids (1919); the rise of the KKK, and the Weather Underground. Stories are told in themed environments that evoke the spirit of the times and include historic photographs and film footage, interactive displays, and video. Artifacts include a piece of one of the airplanes that hit the World Trade Center on 9/11. A fascinating timeline traces more then 170 events.
Under Siege, a powerful film exploring today’s terrorist threat and response shows continuously during Museum hours. A series of and thought-provoking programs expand on the themes raised in the exhibition, including:
- a panel discussion with local law enforcement about home-grown terrorists
- a lecture by Dr. Geoffrey Mearns, one of the Oklahoma City prosecutors
- a special evening featuring Spy Museum Director and former CIA-operative Peter Earnest
- a musical look at protest songs over the years
- a reprise of Elaine Rembrandt’s sellout one-woman performance of Jewish female spies.
The Enemy Within is presented with support from the Citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and The Ohio Arts Council, and media sponsorship from WJW-FOX8.
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